Vietnam has approved the investment and implementation plan of the 500 kV Nam Dinh I thermal power plant–Thanh Hoa transmission line project at a total investment of VND3.09 trillion, besides approving Vietnam Electricity National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT), a subsidiary of state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN), as the investor of the project.
EVNNPT will contribute VND925.83 billion for project development, while over VND2.16 trillion will be funded by commercial bank loans. The 74.4-km line, which will pass through the provinces of Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa, will help reduce load and avoid overload on existing 500 kV lines as well as improve the north-central transmission capacity. Combined with the larger 513-km, 500 kV Quang Trach–Quynh Luu–Thanh Hoa–Nam Dinh I–Pho Noi thermal power plant sections, the line will boost interregional connections and help ensure power supply for the northern region from power sources in the north-central region. Construction on the project will begin in October 2023 and complete in June 2024.
Vietnam is also focusing on the promotion of the renewables sector. In August 2023, Sembcorp Industries Ltd announced that it is exploring investing through a wholly-owned subsidiary in the development of offshore wind projects in Vietnam with the goal of exporting electricity to Singapore. As per the Singapore-based energy and urban development company, Sembcorp Utilities Pte Ltd and Petrovietnam Technical Services Corporation, a part of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, are jointly exploring this opportunity.
Earlier in May 2023, the Vietnamese government released Vietnam’s Eight Power Development Plan (PDP8) for 2021-2030, which includes a vision till 2050. The plan covers the country’s future power mix, and states the pace of the phase down of coal-fired power generation and the uptake of renewable energy.